Prayer in the Military

The Social Action/Public Policy Committee recommends that the Board of Directors adopt the following resolution related to prayer in the military.

WHEREAS, THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM, representing over 700 synagogues and their members across North America, strongly supports the men and women of the armed forces of the United States and Canada and understands the importance of their role as defenders of the freedoms all citizens of our countries share; and,

WHEREAS, among the individual freedoms most cherished is the freedom to exercise one’s religion or to have no religion and to be free from government establishment of a single state religion; and,

WHEREAS, THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM, in accordance with the Constitutional guarantee that there be no religious test for any government office, strongly supports the right of each member of the armed forces to observe religious practices, whether Jewish, Christian, Islamic or other, or to refrain from observing any religious practice without pressure or approbation of any kind from other members of the armed forces, whether or not superior in rank or title; and,

WHEREAS, THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM recognizes that balancing the free exercise clause and the anti-establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States has been a challenge for even the greatest constitutional scholars; and,

WHEREAS, the role of the military chaplain is far-reaching – from advising commanders on moral, ethical, and religious matters, including the constitutional right of religious free exercise; to providing pastoral care and meeting the spiritual needs of individual soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, especially at times of most compelling need; and,

WHEREAS, individual soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and cadets must often seek spiritual guidance or religious support from a chaplain of a different religious faith while individual chaplains must minister to the spiritual needs of members of the armed forces of differing religious beliefs; and,

WHEREAS, THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM strongly believes that prayer, religious experiences and religious education are the responsibilities of the home, the synagogue and other places of worship; but recognizing that within the context of the military, there may be times at which non-denominational, inclusive prayer or a moment of silence may be appropriate for military ceremonies or events of importance when its primary purpose is not the advancement of religious beliefs;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM commends all branches of the United States Military – and in particular, the United States Air Force, the first branch of the Armed Forces to publish new guidelines on religion in the military- for taking seriously the obligation to protect the free exercise of religion at the military Academies and throughout the Armed Forces; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM supports the efforts of the United States Air Force and the other military services to provide guidance to its commanders, chaplains, and service members, to ensure that mutual respect and tolerance will be the guideposts of conduct as to all matters involving the exercise of religion; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM strongly asserts that, where public payer is appropriate, such prayer must be non-denominational and offered in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of military members whose religious views do not agree with those of their commander or the particular chaplain; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM urges that the United States Department of Defense and the individual armed services, including the Army and Air National Guard, vigilantly monitor, investigate and respond to complaints of inappropriate public prayer or inappropriate actions perceived to coerce or otherwise suggest that certain religious practices or lack thereof will affect in any way a service member’s assignment, performance review, details or other rights or privileges; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM urges the Congress of the United States to avoid interposing itself in this matter; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM calls upon The Jewish Theological Seminary to encourage its students and graduates to spend at least part of their careers serving the needs of Conservative Jews and others in the military services; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM calls upon its member synagogues to recognize past military experience of rabbis and other synagogue professionals not only as important service to our respective nations, but also as the source of valuable experience and training in areas ranging from interfaith cooperation to office management, teamwork, and leadership.

Background

During the past year, serious issues of religious freedom have been examined and addressed by the military services of the United States. Multiple allegations of proselytizing and intolerance at the Air Force Academy gained significant notoriety and drove the appointment of a special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force to investigate whether rules had been violated and to propose any necessary changes to rules or regulations. That person was Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff, USN (ret), a member of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Rabbi Resnicoff’s work to determine what activities were going on at the Academy was conducted against a backdrop of increasingly visible encouragement in the military generally for greater religious involvement of military members coming from fundamentalist chaplains of various denominations. It has also been at a time when Congress has been willing to entertain complaints from chaplains that they have been constrained from preaching according to their religious beliefs in the name of tolerance and the anti-establishment clause of the First Amendment. The Air Force responded to Rabbi Resnicoff’s suggestions by making changes at the Air Force Academy, but it went further and created religious guidelines for the entire Air Force.

(It is worth noting that Rabbi Resnicoff’s ultimate year-long appointment was to look at issues above and beyond the challenge of religion in the military. He was appointed Spec Asst (Values and Vision) to the Secretary and Chief of Staff to help the Air Force take a look at the way its core values should be part of issues at every level, from treating others in the Air Force to treating prisoners; from dealing with contractors and contracts to dealing with enemies and war. His appointment took him around the world and had him speak to leaders in every part of the Air Force.)

As a result of the work of many dedicated leaders with the able advice and assistance of Rabbi Resnicoff, the Air Force issued guidelines for its treatment of religion in the ranks. It addresses the intricate relationships between command and the troops, between and among individuals of varying ranks who may choose to talk about religion as an exercise of their rights to free speech, between chaplains and those whom they counsel. It addresses these matters forthrightly and cognizant of the overriding military necessity for good order and discipline in an organization where people must follow orders to protect the rights of the rest of us to be free.

The Air Force guidelines received mixed reviews from the civilian organizations which discussed the matter at the time with the Air Force leadership. (Rabbi Joel Myers participated in these activities on behalf of the Rabbinical Assembly.) When a multi-page draft was reduced to one page, there were complaints that important distinctions were being lost. The guidelines are not, however, the place for lawyers to play upon fine distinctions. The need is for guidelines which allow commanders to properly establish an environment of tolerance and freedom. The lawyers, and the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force and his staff were intimately involved in the process, will have opportunity enough as actual situations arise to counsel with commanders and other individuals about any uncertainties in the meaning of the guidelines.

The role of the military chaplain is as old as the military itself. While every chaplain is an ordained clergy person from a recognized religious group, the broad mix of the population in the military does not always match the availability of chaplains. Routinely, military members must seek assistance in religious matters from chaplains of another faith. This can lead to greater potential for conflict as the military chaplaincy attracts fewer and fewer “mainstream” clergy from every religion. The Jewish Theological Seminary offers its students the opportunity to spend some time in the military chaplaincy through reserve programs of the various services. Still, few graduates choose to spend any time on active duty in the armed forces.

While much of the work of the chaplain is in individual counseling, leading public prayer is also a part of the chaplain’s job. USCJ has often taken positions asserting that religion has no place in public places, such as the public schools, that religion is for the home, the synagogue or other house of worship, and that public displays of religious material constitute improper governmental establishment of religion. The military situation is not the same as that of the public schools or the courthouse or other public venue. The hierarchical nature of the military makes this a challenging area. Yet there are many circumstances in which commanders make opinions known which are not intended to be and are not understood to be orders. Commanders are responsible for ensuring that the environment in which their units operate is as open, fair, and tolerant as is consistent with good order and discipline so that when orders are given they are obeyed.

An unidentified teacher once said that as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools. The parallel assertion that is equally obvious is that as long as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are placed in harm’s way there will be prayer in the military. Prayer has accompanied military action since the time of Joshua and before. It is important that the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism strongly support the right of every military member who wants it to receive pastoral support from a chaplain who will respect the individual’s religious beliefs, regardless of the chaplain’s own beliefs. It is important that the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism recognize that public prayer in military settings can be legitimate. It is also important the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism strongly assert that such prayer must be non-denominational and offered in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of military members whose religious views do not agree with those of their commander or the particular chaplain.

However, it is also important that the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism support the efforts of the military leadership to embrace this issue in a forthright and honest manner so that such efforts will be ongoing to ensure that people of all faiths will be free to practice their religion wherever they are assigned in defense of our liberty to do so here in North America.